According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, Bird has been called up to the New York Yankees and will be available for the lineup against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.
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To start the season, the lefty-swinging slugger suited up for the Trenton Thunder in AA. During the AFL he batted.313/.391/.556 with 21 runs scored, 6 home runs and 21 RBIs in 26 games and in the All-Star Game he went 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk in the AFL East’s 6-2 victory. In 34 games, he’s hitting. 553 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs for the Wolves.
A poll of coaches and managers named Bird the best defensive first baseman in the Eastern League, according to Baseball America. 348 with 10 RBIs last week. He was Colorado’s Gatorade player of the year in 2011 after hitting. The 22-year-old, who was with the Yankees for a brief time in spring training, hit. His promotion comes eight days after top pitching prospect Luis Severino was called up and made his major-league debut.
Bird, who appears to be the heir apparent to Teixeira at first base once his contract is up in 2016, has justified the Yankees decision to include him as one of their untouchable prospects.
There was some grumbling among organizational insiders just after the trade deadline about the Yankees standing pat – concern, primarily, about not having enough pitching reinforcements and the possibility of standout veterans like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez tiring down the stretch – but that was somewhat muted because the team was playing well.
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